In general, a vibrating mirror element including a driving portion and a method for manufacturing a vibrating mirror element including a driving portion are known. Such a vibrating mirror element and a method for manufacturing a vibrating mirror element are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 2009-223165 and 2008-257226, for example.
In Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2009-223165, there is disclosed an optical deflector in which a pair of driving portions arranged along a direction X, a mirror portion arranged to be held between this pair of driving portions in the direction X and rotated by the pair of driving portions, and a frame arranged to surround the pair of driving portions and the mirror portion along the direction X and a direction Y (direction orthogonal to the direction X in the same plane) are formed on a common substrate. First end portions of the pair of driving portions of this optical deflector are connected with the mirror portion on a first side of the direction X and a second side thereof, respectively. Second end portions of the pair of driving portions are fixed by the frame located on sides opposite to the mirror portion in the direction X. The pair of driving portions are arranged such that a plurality of piezoelectric actuators extending in the direction Y are arranged in the direction X, and the plurality of piezoelectric actuators are continuously connected in a state where end portions of the plurality of piezoelectric actuators are bent. This optical deflector is so formed that the thickness of the mirror portion and the thickness of the frame are rendered larger by a prescribed height (thickness) than the thickness of each of the pair of driving portions and the thickness of each of the pair of driving portions is rendered substantially constant by removing portions corresponding to the pair of driving portions by the prescribed height (thickness).
In Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2008-257226, there is disclosed an optical deflector including a reflecting plate, four vibrating plates arranged in pairs on both sides of the reflecting plate in a direction X and extending in a direction Y (direction orthogonal to the direction X in the same plane), a first-side elastic support portion connecting first end portions of a pair of the vibrating plates arranged on a first side of the direction X and a first side of the reflecting plate in the direction X, and a second-side elastic support portion connecting first end portions of a pair of the vibrating plates arranged on a second side of the direction X and a second side of the reflecting plate in the direction X. This optical deflector is so configured that the thickness of each of the four vibrating plates is rendered smaller than the thickness of the first-side elastic support portion and the thickness of the second-side elastic support portion in order to easily deform the vibrating plates. Furthermore, the optical deflector is so configured that the first-side elastic support portion and the second-side elastic support portion extend in the direction X to incline the reflecting plate utilizing torsional deformation. Thus, the reflecting plate can be rotated about a rotation center extending in the direction Y.